The first snow turn is 38, I think. But I gather the Germans begin recovering CV in February.

Actually, you start getting some recovery in January, sometimes hard to notice depending on the level of beating. The February CV increase is very noticeable, enough so that the Germans can counterattack (but still get blizzard morale hits).

Just curious how much time you have in the south. Stalin had fantasies that aren't as good as your Romanian/ Hungarian/ Italian front is at the moment.

I think there is enough time to get somewhere. But my aims are modest: I want to take Kharkov and Nikolaev and use them to anchor a forward defence line. As I was telling Pelton, I'm expecting the Germans to take the initiative once the blizzard is over with those units that spent the winter in Germany.

Turn 30 More of the same: slow progress in the north, no progress in the Moscow sector and a rout in the south. Between the south and Moscow, a series of battles are being fought for Tula, Kursk and Kharkov. These cities are too strong to be assaulted frontally, but all are somewhat vulnerable to eventual encirclement. I'm beginning to think that it will come down to a test of nerve as to who holds on longest.

Kharkov, which I continue to think will be the crucial sector in the medium term. 56th armoured brigade takes Poltova as a battle honour, 90 miles to the south west of Kharkov. I don't expect my opponent to evacuate.

South. As I mentioned the aim of this offensive is to roll up the flanks of the German armies to north and south rather than advancing to the Rumanian border. But the question still arises: how far west to push? As far as I know there is no value in taking Soviet territory I can't hold, so I don't see the point of going much beyond the Ingul. In any case, the offensive is being held up by a lack of armour.

Production. Output may improve when all those damaged units are repaired. In terms of the war of the factories, the Soviets are probably stretching their lead in artillery, but they are not improving their position greatly for armour, air or men.

Kursk. Two reserve armies are being sent to add a little oomph to the attack. At present they are being overseen by Marshal Kulik, an interesting chap who pioneered some human resources techniques that were later employed by Enron. He was very good friends with Marshal Stalin, despite the fact that he (Stalin) had executed his (Kulik's) wife.

And the fate of Kursk is important because it has a bearing on the all important battle for Kharkov. Significant progress is made in here, but if, as I suspect, Bomazz orders his troops in the city to stand fast despite the looming encirclement, will I have time to complete the pocket, reduce it and go over to the defensive before the snow turns? Obviously, he is trying to defend with the bare minimum of troops, but will he commit reserves from Germany to hold it? Note the armoured brigades on the move to the southern sector; they were just getting in the way in the Moscow sector.

The success of the Soviet blizzard offensive in the south is truly impressive. That said, a German panzerball driving from Kharkov to Rostov could win the war for the Axis. I see the sea of azov as a gigantic trap against which to pin the Bear. A front line east of the Mius river is fraught with risk in 42. Good luck.

I'm aware of the danger ... but there's also a chance of trapping much of Army Group South before then. It's a devilish dilemma.

Depending on the size of the pocket, both in terms of units and area, he could potentially move in an airbase, put every bomber and transport in the Luftwaffe on transport duty, and hold out for long enough to gather a relief force.

hooooper, I am glad you are in this kind of game, not the usual min/max games, and this kind of game is what is closer to what really could occur in historical terms than say, running away and vacating territory. Then tension is very palpable and has you thinking of the future, and not knowing what to expect. This one will run for quite a while. Oh, and that tension you feel, that's the psychological part. It's amazing when playing face to face how many people can't handle pressure. When we used to play board games with other people, we weren't on the same side more than twice in ten years, as psychologically, the 'other' side had already lost in their heads. The best battle to win is the one you don't have to fight.

I salute you! Enjoy this one to the bitter end.

Oh yeah, I like to see how the Romanian OOB manpower report is about half of what it should be. You are schwacking them hard!

Yes, I hadn't thought of that; that could be a disaster. I'm beginning to think it's just too risky to go for the Kharkov pocket in the time remaining, but the blizzard continues until T37, so I have a little time yet.

Yes, it's been a tense struggle right from the start. If it was chess, it would be a sharp game. I think I scored a moral victory at Moscow, but I suspect I'm going to suffer a moral defeat at Kharkov. But, and I really can't stress this enough, I do hope to avoid an actual defeat, the kind that might lose the Southern Front.

I do feel I've taught the Romanians a lesson, but I'm not as sure as Pelton is about how much that actually affects the strategic balance of power.

More or less, it's a later game usage of the the Romanians. If you need more CV to hold a spot, one German unit thrown in with two Romanians can do the job rather well. There is also garrisoning, along with fort building. The little things don't seem like much, but it's easier to get the Russian Steamroller up and running with the summation of little problems put together. It's like in late 1942 into 1943, you will throw the Italians in the way to be speed bumps knowing they will be gone mid 1943; better they take the hits than your good units. Additionally, I like to keep the Hungarians up and running as long as possible, and it's a lot easier if they aren't being attacked, and that's easier the longer the Romanians are around. So the culmination of your efforts will pay off.....down the road.

If it were me...I would bang out as much as possible in the south through January, think of it as morale building activities (trusting your comrades to catch you as you fall backwards into the snow, group activities like shooting Romanians in the head, that sort of thing), and then pull back to continue their training and reduce casualties to increase your army size. Kharkov to Leningrad there looks to be no rest for either side in this one.

Edit: Congratulations! Just noticed you reduced Romania to 0 AFVs! Have not seen that before this early in a game.

Heh heh, yes the Rumanians have been hung out to dry; I don't expect they'll ever recover. So you would begin falling back at the beginning of February? Wouldn't you be at all curious to find out if you could pull off a big encirclement at Nikolaev or Kharkov? I'm assuming that I can pull back at fairly short notice, on account of the wrecked rail lines in the south. Reconnaissance will be fairly important towards the end of the blizzard.